Chris Lewis wrote:

According to Custos Custodum :

On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 13:59:36 +0100, Grunff wrote:



David Peters wrote:

Why is isopropyl alcohol (propanol) reckoned by many people to be a
better general cleaner around the house than the ethyl alcohol
(ethanol) which is found in methylated spirits?


It isn't.


Ethanol has a lower toxicity. However, denatured ethanol (meths) has
pyridine added to it. Apart from being one of the most vile smelling
compounds, pyridine is relativly toxic.


It also rots rubber, which is why you should never use meths for
cleaning tape recorder pinch rollers.


Um, I think someone's confused. Methanol (which does eat rubber)
is _not_ denatured ethanol - it's methyl alcohol, aka methyl hydrate
aka CH3OH, aka "wood alcohol". Ethanol is C2H5OH (aka ethyl alcohol).

Isopropyl alcohol is the next alcohol in the series: C3H7OH

The methanol/ethanol/propanol/butanol etc naming conventions
follow the same prefixes as methane/ethane/propane/butane etc.
(1, 2, 3 and 4 carbons).

Methanol is considerably more toxic than ethanol.

I don't know what the Grunff is referring to when he says "meths".
if he means methanol, he's wrong.

Methylated spirits is etahnol with enough mathoanol to make it
undrinkable exceptr by bums.

And Pyridine to make it obvious it's not bacardi.